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The Letters of Kingsley Amis (2001) was assembled and edited by the American literary critic Zachary Leader. It is a collection of over 800 letters sent from that author to many different friends and professional acquaintances from 1941 until shortly before his death in 1995. About one quarter of these were addressed to Amis' close friend, the poet Philip Larkin. The collection is a remarkable peek into the private life of one of the most celebrated and notorious men of 20th century literature. Its publication was concurrent with that of Experience, a memoir written by Kingsley's son, the novelist Martin Amis, largely an homage to Kingsley. The author David Lodge called the book, "[A] major literary event", and the critic John Carey proclaimed Leader's editing of the letters to be "omniscient."
[edit] List of Recipients Included in the Collection
- Brian Aldiss, novelist
- Hilary Amis, Amis' first wife
- Martin Amis, novelist and Amis' second son
- Philip Amis, Amis' first son
- John Betjeman, poet
- Robert Conquest, historian and poet
- Brian Cox, literary critic
- Robert Graves, poet and novelist
- Elizabeth Jane Howard, novelist, Amis' second wife
- Philip Larkin, poet
- Anthony Powell, novelist
- C.P. Snow, novelist
